Dr. Cesar Tomas M. Lopez
He is the Voice of Wisdom, Empathy, Honesty, Compassion, and Reason in this Time of the Pandemic
by ardy and dave
You see him as he looks untiring and sustaining, almost every afternoon, during press briefings over the radio or on social media. You hear him as he patiently answers questions – both kind and harsh (and most of the time harsh) – about this pandemic we are in. You listen to him as he relays unfortunate stories of people getting sick and hopeless and almost at the verge of giving up due to Covid 19.
You will notice him as he is always at the receiving end ready to respond to people’s doubts and consternation about this seeming eternal presence of the virus; as if he is the one to be blamed for this havoc.
But you will be amazed by him as he thoroughly and judiciously explains the cause and effect of contamination, transmission, admission, examination, recoveries, casualties of patients, etc. infected by the disease. You will really come to admire him as you witness the way he inevitably receives the reactions and comments of people who are angry at and hungry for news developments about the reality of the threat of survival.
He is, indeed, the Voice of Wisdom, Patience, Compassion, Reason, Empathy, and Honesty in Bohol’s plight against Covid-19 today.
It is not surprising that he is able to marry all these qualities as his high scholastic record, medical preparation and wealth of experience in government and public service are beyond question.
He graduated third honors from the Holy Spirit School of Tagbilaran for his elementary certificate. He proceeded to the Immaculate Heart of Mary Seminary in Taloto and graduated salutatorian for his secondary diploma. He took his BS Biology course at the University of the Philippines as a college scholar. He finally graduated from the medical course at the Cebu Institute of Medicine. And he is a nurse, too! His Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree was completed at the University of Bohol. Wanting to go to real hospital service, he took up and finished his Master’s Degree in Hospital Management at the St. Joseph’s College in Quezon City, one of the reputable schools in the country.
He is no stranger to public service as he has served as senior board member representing the first district of Bohol. Prior to his stint at the Sangguniang Panlalawigan, he was vice mayor (for 2 terms) and definitely rose to the position of Municipal Mayor of the town of Loon (for 3 undefeated terms). This is not to mention his assignments in towns and hospitals as a medical practitioner.
While he was born in Tagbilaran City, he traces his roots to Loon. His father, the late Rosendo Lopez, was also a medical doctor and also the former mayor of Loon town and also the town’s Municipal Health Officer. He is his father’s son! His 86 year old mother, the former Maria Paz Mozo, used to work as a provincial government employee, and he, being the eldest among eight very successful siblings (2 MDs, 2 Nurses,1 Dentist,1 Priest,1 nutritonist,1 Commerce Graduate) speaks of love about his parents and of service to his brothers and sisters. He is happily married to Chona Requina with whom he has two (2) three children: Thomas Angelo and Gwyneth Anne
It is saild that compassion is the “ability to identify with the suffering of another or to imagine ourselves in a similar state,” He has this.
It is said that understanding is the “ability to think and act with what one knows,” He has this, too.
It is said tha empathy is “a social-emotional ability to share and feel the emotions of others,” He is rich with this.
Most of all, he has that competence “to navigate the difficult social interactions inherent in managing patients’ illness and wellness” especially managing the health condition of the entire Boholano populace.
Bohol will be clueless about the Covid situation without this man—a humble and smiling doctor—thrown into the limelight as the spokesperson of the Bohol Inter Agency Task Force.
For a little over a year now, he has been performing his role which requires honesty, commitment, and courage.His work at the provincial government is crucial as he reports to the people the current infection status and carefully maintaining the privacy of those involved and the balance between being cool and being realistic about the goodness or “badness” of an information.
He is the frontliner of all frontliners in the province and he is committed to this task more than 24 hours a day and 7 days a week. We don’t know if he still remembers and understands what a holiday, or a Sunday, or a weekend means.
He is giving a face and a voice to those who are risking their lives to keep the province safe from the spread of the virus. He is taking the cudgels for his other frontline heroes, protecting them from danger brought by both covid-19 and the unkind words thrown to them by those who do not understand how dangerous life could be for all the frontliners.
He has been acting as the spokesman of the technical group from the very start when Bohol was forming the nascent Technical Working Group (TWG) for New and Emerging Diseases (back in late January 2020). As a spokesman, he could be clearly understood by the fluency of his English language skills (including grammar and rhetorics), the spontaneity of his “Tagalog”, and, of course, the versatility of his Boholano dialect. He is a true virtuoso in communication.
He was thrusted to the limelight after Bohol had its first recorded Covid case—a Chinese woman who visited Bohol prior to the lockdown.
He can be seen in different media platforms confidently applying his medical wisdom and people management skills as he faces different personalities.
He has come a long way since then as he was the main source of information to crush the floating fake news on social media. He has the courage to say “yes” and the determination to say “No”.
There was a time he waged war against those who were spreading fake news and lies – left and right. And he admits that telling the truth and being transparent are the best ways to combat pretenders and impostors and detractors during these times.
His stellar career in public health led him to where he is right now, the Provincial Health Officer 1 of Bohol.
He is one of the reasons we are still alive despite all the health threats.
We are proud of this Boholano who is fast becoming to be a facebook and media celebrity today. We want his voice to continuously resonate in the halls of the Provincial Health Office and in all the health corners of the province. We want him and we love him.
He is our “boy”, man, doctor, friend, counselor and public servant. He is Dr. Cesar Tomas M. Lopez!
Dr. Yul Lopez eloquently doing a presentation about the Covid-19 situation in Bohol
The doctor as a “broadcaster” and spokesperson of the technical working group and the BIATF.
When the situation calls for a formal look, Dr. Lopez is always ready
Public Speaking is another skill the doctor possesses